Exodus
by soulNchantress
Summary: Some myths are true...even if they are hidden. A new battle is waiting to be fought, not just for Earth, but for another planet as well. Rating my go up in the future.
1. Prologue

I do not own Inuyasha. Inu and all his friends are own by Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money for this fanfiction. It is for my enjoyment.

Prologue

In the year 1484 the world was saved from enslavement and destruction. History, while always written by the victor, was skewed in that no one bothered to ever write down these events. Of course word of mouth could never be stopped, but the tale lost a lot of itself as it was passed down from year to year until centuries had passed. In every telling of this event only one fact remained: The Shikon Miko was never heard from again. That is how the story became ancient history and then quietly surrendered itself to becoming myth. After all, who would ever believe that any story that spoke of demons as if they were real was anything more than mythology? The jewel in the tale became a moral against the traps and trappings of greed. Like most ancient things, however, they will eventually become unearthed.

Time passed slowly for most that knew of the true events of that fateful battle. Until the day came in 1999 that they were once again brought to a little Shinto Shrine nestled snugly in the great city of Tokyo. Events were unfolding rapidly that could undo all of their hard work in keeping the story a myth. Few knew that the history spoken of by an old priest was in fact very true. The majority decided that it was better to fade than to constantly fight. So preparations had been made to ensure that the fallen were remembered and that the secret stayed safe.

Unless one knew what to look for you would have opened your morning paper on Thursday of May 9, 1999, and would have probably never noticed the little headline in the crime report section of an unconscious trio of friends found at the Higarashi Shrine. It seemed as if they, according to police reports, were heading back from a Cosplay Event when they were swarmed by unknown assailants and mugged. Badly beaten they collapsed beneath the God Tree at the Shrine in the hopes that someone would find them and help them. One of the victims was Higarashi Kagome, granddaughter of the priest of the shrine. The other two were later identified as the wards and family friends of Taisho Nishi and his brother Taisho Sato. The Taisho brothers are the CEOs of Sirius Aeronautics, the world's pioneering inventors and manufacturers of zero G planes and weapons. They asked that their wards' names be withheld. It was unknown if the three beaten friends escaped the fate of ransom or if it was just a usual mugging. The investigation was ongoing.

Even this little story was quietly put away and faded from memory. Eventually it became a cold case put into a box and set on a shelf in a little basement room never to see the light of day.

Time moved forward, and in the year 2150 a story came to light that was impossible to cover up and ignore. The time of the Scourge had come. It meant the death and destruction of planet Earth's very existence. Entire species were wiped out, and with little to no food, the Human race was sure to follow. It was a time when technology did not always hold the answers and the self preservation of the Humans allowed them to once again believe in myths and legends. Above all though, it brought back magic.

It started innocently enough. In the year 2102 a meteor shower was witnessed by western hemisphere. It was a beautiful, but deadly, sight as billions of people in the United Nations of the Americas set up lawn chairs in backyards to watch the rain of a thousand lights. It was magical, if one in that day and age even had inkling of just what "magical" was.

It was also tragic. One giant meteor, the size of the ancient Astro Dome landed in, ironically enough, the desert of the former state of Nevada. Five million innocent men, women, and children and countless wildlife were killed on impact. The volatile explosion of metric tons of torn earth, heated and searing, sent a shockwave across the western half of North America. Dust and ash covered the planet from the Mississippi River to the beaches of the former state of California. The EGD (Earth Global Defense) sent in millions of troops to help survivors and clean up in the aftermath. The MBA (Moon Base Alpha) scientist relayed information that the cataclysm was seen with the naked eye by Mars' colonist.

Most of the damage was so extensive that the entire populations, in that area of the world, were moved to other locations. It became quarantined. No one could go in or out but scientist and reclaiming crews. Scientist, so giddy at the prospect of such a large chunk of space debris just sitting there for the taking, wasted no time in beginning analysis. That analysis was the beginning of the end. Although it would be another 42 years before the world knew it as such.

In 2142, a guard by the name of Igini Shin was coming from a three year tour of duty in the Wastelands of the Americas. That was the name given to the impact zone and surrounding areas after the meteor strike forty years previous. He signed in at the Contamination Check labs before he headed overseas to the United Nations of Asia half a world away. No one knew he was contaminated with what would later be known as the Scourge. In fact he passed all screenings for foreign agents and physical screenings with nothing more than the common cold. If only their scanners could detect then what they were programmed to detect now, the world's populations would have been spared… at least for another thirty years or so.

Seventy two hours later, Shin was attending a welcome home party with his friends and family in Beijing. He begged off dancing with his betrothed to sit at a table to catch his breath. He was shocked, but not really frightened as the drops of green splattered onto the white table cloth from his ears. His sister, being a doctor, was quickly called to the table to investigate. A small amount of the substance was collected to take back to her lab after the party. Other than being winded from the dancing and the fact that his ears were oozing thick green fluid, Shin seemed just fine. He just had a cold.

Twenty four hours after the emergence of Shin's first symptom, two hundred thousand people from the Contamination Check labs in Washington D.C. to the dining hall in Beijing came down with the common cold. However, it was the common cold, so it could not have been remarkable. Could it?

Forty eight hours after Shin's first symptoms, he committed his first murder.

Shin woke that morning and dressed himself as normal. He stuffed his ears with cotton balls to contain his still unfortunate side effect from his cold. He said goodbye to his family and headed to work.

As he entered the Beijing branch building of the EGD, a woman brushed his shoulder in passing in the tight entrance hall door. Witnesses say the snarl of a beast emerged from the mouth of Sgt. Igini Shin as he casually placed his hands on the side of her head and twisted until her slender neck snapped. All hell broke loose. All those who tried to contain and detain Shin were ripped into mercilessly. Fifty Six bodies, including Shin's, littered the floor of the EGD entrance hall before EGD security brought Shin down with one bullet through the head.

The spectacle was covered by media around the world as hospitals were becoming packed with panicked citizens displaying anything from the common cold to green liquid oozing from the ears. The world was getting its first look at the biggest global pandemic since the minor SARS and Swine Flu epidemics of the early twenty first century. More mass murders were to follow.

Six days. That was all it took from first contact with an infected individual until homicidal tendencies struck the victim. And it always struck. The rage would build like a sleeping lion that suddenly awoke to pounce on anyone within range. It took months to figure out just how contagious the disease was. It would be another year before the cause and the source of the spread would be found out.

A parasite, a tiny micro biotic life form, previously unknown, was the cause of Humanities decline. It was named The Scourge. Its source was the very meteor that struck earth forty one years ago. Most would say that the five million it killed at landfall was an omen of the devastation to come. Five years after the discovery of the parasite and its origin, two thirds of the world's populations were extinct. All that remained were scattered remnants of the EGD in pockets only communicating by subspace radio signals. All traffic from Mars' colonist and the Moon Bases to Earth ceased. Visitations from one pocket of resistance to another halted. It was too dangerous to meet up.

For five years, until 2147, the world held its breath in self imposed isolation while it tried to form a plan to combat the still lingering Scourge. On March 26, 2147 the signal went out. Years of technology had been rushed and the scientist harried, but a solution was found. It was time to abandon the Earth.

The Scourge was not idle. It became blatantly obvious that this tiny life form was sentient amassing an intelligence that most humans could not comprehend. In and of itself, it was nothing to worry about. In numbers, however, it gathered itself into a collective so huge and mind numbingly ambitious that anything less than total domination of its new planet would do. The humans that became infected with the parasite became mindless drones working only through orders from the Hive and what rudimentary instincts were left to the human hosts.

They began building cities, dubbed Hives by the few drones captured and questioned. One by one these Hives were built. When one was finished a few would scatter, like bees following a Queen, only to begin to erect a new Hive. Given the onslaught of the contamination, they spread globally. They now could easily claim the position the most dominate creature on Earth.

That wasn't enough. It became known, because they were not shy to shout it through every means of communication available to them, that until all of Humanity was part of the Hive they would be hunted like the pray they were. If you were captured, being killed would be lenience.

In the year 2150 one third of the population left in the pockets of resistance left the Earth behind. A tiny planet had been found in a neighboring spiral arm of our Milky Way Galaxy. They named it Endur, for it was on this new planet that Humanity would show its endurance. Its distance from Earth was an estimated 25,436 light years from earth. It would have taken millennia to travel that far, but we now had the sub-light drive. It would take 20 years for the pioneering crew to reach its destination.

So it was that the day was set. One third of the population left Earth, another third went into cryogenic sleep, and the last third stood as guard and protectors of their sleeping brethren. If this trip to Endur was successful, a return trip would be made and the rest of Earth's residents would be evacuated. In the mean time, those left behind would work to find a way to finally rid Earth of the Scourge.

On January 1, 2150 two million men, women, and children boarded the EGD star ship Exodus for a pioneering trip to Endur.

The Exodus was 600 football fields in length and stood 430 stories tall. It was rather packed, to say the least. At its helm were project director and Admiral Taisho Sesshomaru, his second in command and Brother Taisho Inuyasha, and his chief of engineering Higarashi Shippo. There, nestled in the bowels of the ship, warded by more than just technological security, were four magically sleeping humans, among them, the Shikon Miko.

A/N: I recently posted this up on Dokuaga. Thought you all may want a look at what I'm working on. Hope you enjoy. -soul


	2. Establishing connections

I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha and all related characters and plot devices are owned solely by Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money from this fanfiction, but IF I write my story well, I may get a pat on the back from my peers.

Chaos hummed throughout the halls and levels of the Exodus. After years of rebelling attacks against the Scourge, they have once again proven just how intelligent they truly are. The counterstrike they have launched was heavy, quick, and decisive. If something was not done soon, the Exodus may suffer total loss…and that was unacceptable. Casualties would be expected and dealt with accordingly, but Admiral Sesshomaru refused to be enslaved to anyone…man or _pest_.

Smoke billowed through the corridor as his eyes watered in an effort to see where his speeding footsteps tread. His heightened sense of smell was no help in the haze around him, the scent of burning electrical panels clouded everything. He knew his destination; it was one of two areas in the entirety of the ship that had a barrier powerful enough to withstand the infection of the Scourge.

The humans, while now believing in demons still refused to see that magic was real. Regardless of proof, they believed that the barriers that protected them were new experimental shields. They had been clamoring for personal shields for their dormitories. _As if_. He _could_ ward their dorms, but he was just one demon. For all of his power he could not ward over two million people alone. That is why he was making his way to _Her_.

He pushed and shoved his way, as gently as he could, past the evacuating demons and humans fleeing to the gardens. It was one of the other areas behind a barrier. If the masses screamed and cried at why plants were behind a barrier while they were not, then he answered swiftly that if they did not protect their food sources, then they would not survive regardless. The Scourge tainted everything it touched.

He pelted as fast as possible down the hall: His speed belying the bulk of his seven foot frame and his heavy anti-contamination armor. That had been the hardest to adjust to. He was accustomed to fighting in armor, but not the sealed full body armor required for saving oneself from the Scourge. The only help he had was his strength and the fact that the helmets filtering systems pumped in clean environmental air so he could still pick up the scent of his prey. He could not use his demonic powers as they would short circuit the electronics and his Dokkaso would melt through it like it were butter. As he made it halfway down the passage he heard his name being called.

"Sesshomaru, Talia says they've breached the hulls at levels 306 and 210. Everyone is evacuating to the Gardens, but I still haven't heard from Shippo." Inuyasha came up from behind him easily matching his strides. The distinctive red splashed across his armor and his silver hair was all he could make out through the smoke.

"Shippo is already awaiting us," he replied. "He evacuated engineering and is awaiting us there."

Inuyasha grunted. "Kah. Lucky bastard, he must've made it there before the teleports were knocked offline. What're we going to do? We need _Her_ help, but I won't do this against her will. She has to want to help."

He slid a cool look from the corner of his eyes at his brother. "She was one of the most selfless humans I have ever met. You know her well. Do you think she will deny us aid?"

Inuyasha muttered under his breath. "No," he spoke up, "but I won't do this to her without her permission. I've made too many bad calls with her in the past. I won't add to the tally."

"Understood, we will finally get to speak with her and secure her permission. Now hurry."

Several minutes later found a harried looking Admiral and a soot smudged SiC (Second in Command) before a reinforced titanium door. The door looked simple enough to pass through, unless you knew what security measures were put into place around it. To the left of its surface where two screens: One was for voice recognition; the other was handprint identification that did not need skin contact. It read the biometric signature of the demon and the armor. When a demon was given armor, their own signature melded with the armors electronic signatures' to become as unique as a fingerprint.

Sesshomaru placed his armored hand upon the screen and growled out roughly, "Western Lord."

"Confirmed," answered the computer voice in a female lilt, "Welcome, Admiral Sesshomaru." The sound of grinding metal filled the entrance as locks disengaged around the frame.

He then put his hand into the middle of the door; fingers splayed, and allowed his aura to push against the barrier around the room. As he forced his aura out he pictured it as a key molding itself to fit into the tumblers that would allow him to unlock the barrier. Once the ward had dropped he hurried through allowing Inuyasha to follow.

The room they entered was dimly lit. A soft yellow glow from several small rectangular lights scattered around the reinforced ceiling was the extent of the lighting. Upon the opposite wall to the door was a console of computers that blinked dully but merrily below a thick pane of sixteen layers of transparent plastic. Scattered around the room were arrays of data pads and garbage from the last hasty dinner left abandoned when duty called.

Sesshomaru walked over to the consoles and picked up a discarded napkin. "Kit, this place is a mess," he growled.

Shippo snatched the napkin from his hand and hastened to pick up the trash bin. He took his forearm and swiped it along the counter into the trash. "Sorry, I was having dinner here when the attack came. I had to teleport to engineering to start the evacuation. I was in a bit of a rush."

Sesshomaru huffed. "Are the preparations made?"

Shippo reclaimed his seat in front of the middle computer. "Yes, sir, we've established the mind link with her. Her vitals and brain scans show that she is not in pain, so this connection will be as un-invasive as we can make it." His voice wobbled a little at the end and it did not go unnoticed.

Inuyasha settled his hand on the kits shoulder. "It's the best we could hope for. If she's not in any pain, then this will be a cinch."

Shippo nodded and swallowed tightly.

"Are the others prepared as well?" Sesshomaru asked while peering through the window into the next room.

Shippo answered again, "Yes, sir, their training was complete twenty four hours ago. They are ready to go online at a moment's notice. They are," he struggled to find a word, "…eager."

"Understood," he punctuated with a nod. Sesshomaru started barking commands. "Solidify the connection with _Her_ and prepare her for briefing. Tell the others that they are on standby for now."

Inuyasha gave Shippo's shoulder one last squeeze and then rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Let's get this show on the road. The Scourge will never know what hit 'em."

"Link solidified, Sir." Shippo's fingers were flying over the console.

"Patch it through to speakers," Sesshomaru stated calmly.

"_**Hello**_?" A thin voice sounded throughout the room. It lacked its usual emotional lilt, but all knew it was _Her's_.

"Kagome," the kit breathed.

"_**Hello, is anyone there**_?"

The room sat in stunned wonder. They had not heard her voice in over six hundred years. No one really knew how to broach the topic of needing her aid. Inuyasha stared at his brother raising his eyebrow in an obvious…'_well_?'

"Miko, it is your _friends_," he said the word as if it was unsure and untested.

"_**My friends, where am I without my friends**_?"

Inuyasha noticed that Sesshomaru was having trouble finding his words so he began the explanations. "Kagome, you've been asleep for over six hundred and fifty years. We didn't know how to wake you. We've just now acquired the technology to communicate with you."

"_**Inuyasha, is that you**_?"

A small smile touched his lips. "Yea, wench, it's me."

"_**I'm scared, Inu. Why can't I wake up**_?"

Inuyasha's saddened gaze caught and held the kit's own remorseful look. "We don't know, Kags. We will figure it out now that we can talk with you, though."

Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "Time is of the essence, brother."

"I know," Inuyasha huffed as he ran his fingers over his brow.

"Miko," Sesshomaru started, "we need your help. I don't have time to explain right now, but we are under attack."

The room was quite for several seconds and then a thin voice, barely whispered, replied. "_**You **__need__** me**_?"

"Yes."

"_**What can I do? I can't even move my body. How can I help**_?"

Sesshomaru took a deep breath. "You are the only one that _can_ help."

You could hear the resolve enter into the disembodied voice. "_**Tell me what to do**_."

"You are still conscious of your body, are you not?"

"_**Yes**_."

"I want you to feel the rooms surrounded by a barrier. Can you feel them?" Sesshomaru stared fixedly through the window.

"_**Yes, I can feel them. Is this barrier mine**_?"

"It is," he replied. "The jewel projects your power into the barrier to protect you. Can you feel the rest of the ship?"

"_**Ship, I'm on a ship**_?"

A chuckle left the kit. Kagome was going to be so surprised to discover just what kind of ship she was on.

"Yes," answered Sesshomaru.

"_**I can feel it…it's….huge**_!"

He cleared his throat again as the corners of his lips twitched. "Indeed."

The voice over the speakers groaned. "_**What is that…that….taint**_?"

"That, Kags, is our enemy. The Scourge, it's what we need your help with." Inuyasha eyes became serious. "They are killing us all one by one, every man, woman and child."

"_**Why**_," she asked.

"It's what they do," breathed the kit.

"_**Shippo, you're here, too**_?"

"I am," he spoke a little louder. "I've missed you," he couldn't help adding.

"_**You're all in danger**_?"

"We are." Sesshomaru gave the kit a glance. Even though he was not good with emotion, he knew that the kit suffered for centuries. He was unable to aid his mother and he, Shippo, at times, often felt the lack of her. "You must purify this taint, Miko."

"_**But,**_ _**I can sense other demons. I would purify them as well**_." The voice sounded hesitant.

"It must be done, Miko. They are infected….tainted. Already they work for our enemy."

The voice wobbled. "_**Are**_ _**you sure? I don't want to purify the innocent**_."

Inuyasha gazed sadly through the window at the middle cylinder in the next room. "We are sure, Kags. There is nothing that can be done for them."

Only a moment passed before they heard her reply. "_**Alright**_."

The two demons and the half demon shuddered slightly as they felt her power gather from the next room.

"_**Just the taint outside of the barrier, right**_," her voice called to them.

That got Sesshomaru's attention. "Is there taint inside the barrier, Miko?"

"_**Yes. It's small, but it's there, in the big room above us. I can see it moving like leaves in a breeze**_."

"Can you purify just the Scourge in the next room, without harming anyone else?"

It was quite for all of ten seconds. "_**I think I can, but I must hurry. It's trying to spread.**_"

Sesshomaru growled. "Do it. If it is not stopped it will continue to spread rapidly until all of us are infected."

No sooner than the words left his lips the room was lit up by a blindingly pink light. It flew through every nook and cranny of the ship leaving nothing in shadow. Power flowed like a tidal wave from the point of the middle cylinder outward from one end of the Exodus to the other.

When the light dimmed to normal levels Shippo called to her. "Kagome, are you alright?"

Silence stretched for a few breathless moments. Then the voice replied, "_**I'm alright. I was just checking to make sure it all was gone.**_"

"Were you successful, Miko? Is the infection removed?" Sesshomaru allowed his eyes to once again adjust to the dim levels.

"_**Yes. It's gone**_," she sounded hesitant again.

"What's wrong, Kags," asked Inuyasha.

"_**The**_ _**people above us are panicking. A few of them died. I tried not to kill them! It shouldn't have killed them.**_"

"I am sorry, Miko. That is the nature of our enemy. They spread rapidly and taint all they come into contact with. In sixty years we have not found a way to save the infected." Sesshomaru gave a light sigh. "You did what you had to do. You saved us all."

All was silent in the room while they allowed her to process his words and mourn the loss of those she could not save.

"_**I'm sorry. I tried**_." The utter defeat in her voice stilled them.

"It's not your fault, Kagome. You did more for them than we ever could. You gave them peace. You have to understand that when they become infected, it takes over their minds and bodies. They become slaves to the Scourge." Shippo tried to help her through this.

"_**I understand**_," she said. Although they could hear that she truly did not.

"I must go and see to the repair of the Exodus and check on our crew." Sesshomaru headed for the door. "We will speak again, Miko." With those words he left them there.

The dejected sound of the voice filled the room again. "_**I did not mean to disappoint him.**_"

"You didn't, Kagome. He just has a lot of things that he is responsible for, now," said Shippo.

"Yea, Kags, you did beyond wonderful," added Inuyasha. "How would you like a job?"


	3. Giving Thanks

I do not own INUYASHA, Rumiko Takahashi does. I make no money from this fanfiction. This story is for my enjoyment, but I like to share.

Sesshomaru sat wearily at his desk his broad shoulders slumped a fraction, but with the armor encasing him you would never realize. He removed his helmet and placed it on the old style mahogany desk in front of him. Leaning back in his chair, tired eyes closing, Sesshomaru sighed.

It was a relief to his nose that the stench of smoke had finally been completely filtered out of the Exodus. Also, the decaying reek of the human bodies left lying in the passageways after the Scourge was purified from them were removed. Since most aboard the Exodus were demons it was a blessing that their bodies had been purified into ash. For the demons it was a 'no muss, no fuss' situation.

A full twenty four hours had passed since the Miko had repelled the attack on the ship. He still had to thank her properly for saving the lives of everyone aboard. A smile touched his lips as he wondered what her thoughts would be when he finally went and gave her his thanks. No doubt she would ask him if he was alright.

Almost seven hundred years would change a demon. For thirty years he spent his time, like the rest of Earth's population, hiding underground and in caves. His once full and rich life had grown stagnant. His very soul cried out as he watched the taint of the Scourge snuff out all of what was left of nature. As much as it pained him to leave Earth, the promise of a new, uninfected world was a giddy thought. His plans did not stop there though.

With this new world, Endur, he would have lands again. Lands to protect, guide, and nourish: and maybe this time the demons and humans could work together to get it right. Humanity is on the brink of extinction, they will not be as widespread as they once were. Safeguards could be put into place to protect his new lands, and the demons will not have to fade into obscurity again. They would work hand in hand with Humans to make sure everyone had prosperous lives. After centuries, Sesshomaru had no will to Lord over anyone. He would rule his Lands and all that chose to be vassal to him. Maybe it was old age, but the powerful demon no longer searched for power. He just wanted what others search their whole lives for: a quite place to call his own and those few that were His gathered around him. It stood to reason though that he was a big demon, therefore he would require a big stretch of land.

His thought turned to less pleasant matters. He knew that asking the Miko for assistance would cause problems, but they had no other alternative. She was a weapon in his arsenal against the Scourge that he had been loathed to use. His strength could not have helped but a drop in the bucket to her purity. As selfish as it was to ask her aid, he would do it again. This was Earth's last and only hope. If they fell, she would have been alone. He would not let the hope of everyone, including himself, die.

The panic that he had entered when he arrived at the gardens was a deafening roar. The humans were scared to watch their peers drop dead, thinking that the Scourge had invented a new way to obliterate them all. The demons had demanded to know where he had found a Miko after all of this time and that he should share her as if she were a common commodity. He tamped down on his anger as he assured his beast that she was HIS to protect. He had done so for almost seven hundred years, and he would continue to protect her.

His voice had cut through the din of noise in the gardens as he explained to them that a Miko had been found, but that they had spent years trying to harness her powers because, being human, she would not live forever. He was not normally a liar, but after losing so much in his lifetime, he was loathed to lose anymore. If he had to cheat, steal, and lie to protect those that were left to him…he would. Let them be aware that he had a Miko, but he would never reveal her as The Miko.

He went on to explain to those aboard that the surge of power that had protected them was, until that moment, untested. He stressed to them that they needed to be more vigilant in protecting themselves. He told them that there was no guarantee that it would work again, and that the harnessing of the Miko's powers was still in the experimental phase. It took two hours before they began to calm.

As they filtered out of the gardens, back to dorms and duty stations, they had hope in their eyes. They had hope that had always been there, but was dying a slow death with all of the fruitless attacks against the Scourge and no weapon to cut them down effectively. It was the same hope that was renewed in his own eyes as he witnessed the cleansing of the Exodus by the small, sleeping Miko.

Sesshomaru rose from his desk and tucked his helmet under his left arm. It was time to give the Miko his thanks and to put the rest of his plans for her into action.

He entered the small warded room once again, letting his eyes adjust to the dimness. He wondered again, why he had not let the kit paint the walls a more bright color instead of leaving the blackened steel walls. That thought was neither here nor there, though as he crossed the room to the console.

With a few button presses he flipped the switch to solidify the connection with Her.

"Miko, can you hear me?"

"_**Yes, Lord Sesshomaru, I can hear you**_."

A chuckle filled the air in the small room. "I am no longer a Lord, Miko. I'm now known as Admiral Sesshomaru."

"_**An Admiral, I was under the impression that you would make yourself a Commander or a General at least**_," the voice teased, "_**perhaps even King of the World**_."

"No, piloting a ship gives me the rank of Admiral. I could not, in good conscious, take the lowly rank of Captain. I needed more." Sesshomaru pulled up the chair that was once occupied by Shippo. He sat down and waited on her reply.

"_**Why, Admiral, are you joking**_?" The voice carried as much whimsy as the speakers would convey.

"Perhaps, Miko, a lot has changed while you have slept." A feminine laugh tittered through the air but a moment before it sobered.

"_**Have I really slept so long**_?"

"Almost seven hundred years," he replied just as soberly.

"_**Please**_," the voice asked, "_**tell me what has happened**_."

Sesshomaru sighed as he laid his head in his hands, his gaze locked on the middle cylinder through the window. "Not right now, Miko. It is a long tale, and I am functioning on lack of sleep. You have my word that I will tell you everything tomorrow."

Her sigh breathed through the speakers. "_**I understand. Inuyasha tried to explain some of it for me, but with all of his grumbling, I could not make out most of the tale**_."

He chuckled again. "I will tell it better. My brother has changed in these many years; however, some things are as ingrained into him as much as his golden eyes. At least he no longer shouts curses to the top of his lungs."

"_**I see. He called me wench once, but it sounded like more of a friendly nickname than the derogatory tone that he used to use it with**_."

His gaze through the window took on a more understanding look. "It took years, but he finally realized how objectionable his words and actions to you truly were. He, like the kit, missed you very much. I would venture that it is hard to have you so close, always protecting you, but being unable to speak with you."

"_**I missed all of you, too. I feel as if I have been in a never ending dream. I slept away the lives of my Human friends. I will never know how the lives of Sango, Miroku, and Rin turned out. I want to wake up. Even if I can never see them again, I still have you all**_."

His soul cheered a little at her words. For all the joy he experienced his answer was a whispered reply. "Yes, you still have us."

The air stilled around them, each lost in their own thoughts. It was a comfortable silence. In this moment there were no duties, or pressures, just peace and quiet. He was reluctant to break it, but he still had one more duty to perform before he could find his bed.

"You have my thanks, Miko, for saving the lives of everyone aboard the Exodus. You did not have to help, but I cannot express how beneficial you were."

"_**I didn't save everyone, but according to Shippo, I did. Will you explain that to me as well**_?"

"Yes, tomorrow, I will explain everything."

"_**Good**_." She paused. "_**You are wrong though, I had to help. You all needed me. I haven't felt needed in a very long time. It was…nice**_."

He smiled again at her obvious spark of self-esteem tinged with her modesty. "Non-the-less, you have my thanks."

It was quite again before her laugh rang once again through the speakers. "_**Inuyasha offered me a job. Can you imagine, I can't even wake up and he wants to put me to work**_?"

Sesshomaru sat up, more alert than he was but half an hour ago. "It is possible, Miko, but I will explain more tomorrow. The offer, however, is valid. We would be honored if you would at least consider it."

She was silent as she thought about it. "_**I will make you a deal. You explain to me how I can help while my body sleeps, and I will consider your offer**_. _**Is it the same way I helped before**_?"

He smirked even though she could not see him. "I agree. As to how you will be able to help, it will be like you helped before, but you will have other duties as well."

"_**Other duties**_," she asked.

"Indeed. All will be revealed to you shortly."

"_**Okay**_." She sounded skeptical.

He let her hear his laugh. "Trust me." He rose from his seat and stretched. "This is where I say goodbye for now, Miko. I must retire."

"_**Goodnight, Sesshomaru. Please, though, call me Kagome. It's nice to hear my name**_."

"Hn," he replied, "goodnight…Kagome."

Sesshomaru leaned forward to cut the connection with Kagome. Just as he was ready to flip the switch he heard her whisper.

"_**You're welcome, Admiral**_."

He flipped the switch and headed to bed.

A/N: Not too happy with this chapter, but it had to be done. I want to start a rapport between Kagome and Sesshomaru that isn't dependent on Inuyasha and Shippo. I also wanted to show a little of the changes in Sesshomaru. He may be a little OOC, but it is understandable if you think about it. The next chapter may be in two parts. Depending on how wordy I become, it may even be a three parter. I know that I haven't been too descriptive about the Exodus, but I really want you all to see it as Kagome sees it for the first time. Stick with me folks. I'm trying. Also, thanks for the review. It would be nice to hear from more of you. Does the story suck or is Sci-fi not your cuppa tea?


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